Bear in mind that many people are poor, slow, and/or lazy typists, so the briefer the better. However, just going AFK may be seem as an asshat move while “biobreak” is seen as a valid reason; a full bladder is a more legitimate excuse to leave the game for a moment than just a sudden urge to wander off.

@anniereborn In situations where time doesn’t matter, neither does brevity, so your way is fine under those circumstances. And if you can’t grasp how time matters in some games, I don’t know how to explain it any better than I can explain colors to a blind person.

BRB is super annoying when you’re questing and have a job to do, and other people are relying on you to accomplish a task.
BRB? Why? Are you answering the door for the pizza man, or taking a shower, or going to work?

Exactly, @Seek_Kolinahr. Even in non-time sensitive situations, BRB is usually some kid who is going AFK just for the hell of it and won’t be back for a couple of hours. Maybe it really is a sudden, short-term thing like a pizza guy or getting the cat off of the fridge, but most BRBs I see are never right back; average is about 20 minutes, and sometimes I wander off in-game and five hours later get a /tell that they just came back!

In other words, BRB is, at best, vague, and often abused enough that BRB is often read as “Screw you guys, I have better things to do!” unless used within a group that is personally familiar with you, like a guild or clan. And if you are in a vital role on a team action, like a healer on a boss fight or an outpost Battle, BRB is even ruder; you’re actually walking out on a job that you said you’d do. Go up to your employer at a random time during the day, say, “BRB”, and just wander off somewhere for a few hours. See how well that goes over.

Biobreak is somebody who has a definite and immediate need to go, but will be returning shortly. We know that you have a very valid reason for your absence, but also that you will be back in a reasonable amount of time.

Second Life, eh? That doesn’t even qualify as gaming. It’s a virtual world and nothing more. If Second Life is a game, the so is walking down the street. When Second Life has PvP, wild animals, and/or open warfare, along with win conditions, I might change my mind.

@Seek_Kolinahr A common phrase from me in Ryzom is, “I have an idea. Get ready to run!”, followed seconds later by explosions, fire, being chased by large things, and general chaos. IRL, I am not nearly so reckless.

Therein lies the difference between SL and actual gaming; being something other than yourself. And I’m not talking the typical internet false persona where everybody is handsome/pretty and rich. I am not the commander of a T49 tank destroyer, nor a special forces operative, nor a Tryker, a Shadowrunner, or a Dragonborn in my daily life, but when I game, I get to be those things and not just a pixelated version of myself like SL.

I never said SL was a game or that i was a gamer. I was just saying that I use “BRB” in that virtual world. I don’t need to explain why. But that is when with friends who know I am not gonna just walk off and not come back.

@anniereborn There is no such guarantee in most games though. It’s a little different dealing with my guildies than with most others for that reason; I know my guildies, but most of the BRBs I get from non-guildies tend to stretch for 20–2000 minutes.